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america." >> this is a special edition of "bbc world news america." . reporting from washington, i am katty kay. he is dead. osama bin laden is killed by an american commando team after a 10-year manhunt. >> the world is safer, a better place because of the death of osama bin laden. >> his hiding place was not the remote mountain cave many expected, but a huge villa that was apparently built for him near pakistan's capitol. americans may be celebrating the death of osama bin laden, but will it marked the end for al- qaeda or the beginning of more attacks to avenge him?

welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. it took almost 10 years to find him, but just over half an hour to kill him. osama bin laden, founder of al- qaeda and architect of the 9/11 attacks that brought the twin towers down and murdered thousands of people here was shot through the head early yesterday in an elite team of american commandos. he was found not in a remote cave but in a village not far from pakistan's's capitol. the entire operation took 40 minutes. we will devote in tight -- our entire broadcast to this remarkable story, beginning with our north america editor, mark mardell. >> this man was the very icon of evil, a symbol of murderous hatred of america and the west. an elusive billon, constantly

frustrating the world's most powerful military and more sophisticated intelligence services. but the american forces finally ended it here. the bloodstained floor shows where bin laden died. last summer, the cia that his most trusted courier to the sum. the cia believes it was built specially to hide bin laden. >> last august, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, i was briefed on a possible leads you bin laden. it was far from certain and took many months to run this thread to grant, but finally last week i determined we had enough intelligence to take action and authorized a mission to get osama bin laden and bring him to justice. >> 25 special forces flew into the area on a night chosen for the lack of moonlight.

the villa was 50 miles away from islamabad. the special forces team was dropped to the roof of the building. inside, bin laden was found in a bedroom and refused to surrender. he was killed with two shots to the head. three of the minister were killed -- three other men were killed as well as a woman who was being used as a field. the body of the world's most wanted man was taken from the building and buried at sea said there would be no great that could become a shrine. the whole operation lasted only 40 minutes, an eternity for those waiting. >> it was probably one of the most anxiety-filled times concerning the lives of the people assembled here. the minutes passed like days. the president was very concerned about the security of our personnel. that was what was on his mind

throughout. and he wanted to make sure we were able to get through this. >> aboard de -- this ship, the body was washed and put into a bad. burial rites were translated. the diseased body was heaved into the sea. it has been senior since the plane plowed into the twin towers, part of a coordinated attack that killed more than 3000 people and traumatized the country. bin laden's dream was america's nightmare. he had been a target of four. now he was america's archenemy. the news of his death spread quickly, even before the president made his announcement. they had waited years for this. >> usa. >> later, the crowd gathered in

foryork's ground zero relevance paid more somber tribute. >> they looked him in the eye and probably set a couple of choice words and shot him in the head. she is looking at this and she has the feeling of satisfaction, too, because i know god through that man's soul into hell. >> it looks like a clear, and complicated victory. the good guys killed the bad guy. but president obama wants to emphasize it was his victory to. he told the cia to make killing bin laden their top priority. he defeated where two other presidents fail. in a ceremony honoring the military, he said there was nothing america could not do if it put its mind to it. >> i think we can all agree this is a good day for america.

our country has the commitments you see that justice is done, the world is safer, it is a better place because of the death of osama bin laden. >> osama bin laden is now marked "deceased," to the immense satisfaction of america. mark mardell, bbc news. >> as we heard, but some of the mine was found in a complex of buildings built as recently as 2005. it raises questions about whether the al-qaeda leader had the support from within the country's intelligence services. our correspondent filed this report from the pakastani town that has now brought so much international attention. >> it was perhaps more of a surprise here when the news broke that it was anywhere else

the american attack helicopters had flown undetected for hundreds of miles the much as one incredible detail of this mission the trucks are moving back and forth from the compound now. it seems that the pakastani army had not been part of the raid. nobody living in the bill was close to osama bin laden's compound quite understands what was happening in their neighborhood. >> the was a massive noise and we all ran out into the street. we saw helicopters. the normal explosions and gunfire. we had no idea what they were targeting. >> they are finding it hard to with -- hard to accept the world's most wanted man was living among them. >> i still cannot believe that. in my protection, this is

another political strategy for the u.s. and for the pakastani government as well >> it is extraordinary that osama bin laden was here, and in this beautiful, tranquil valley in northern pakistan. astonishing, too, the compound where he was killed such a short distance from pakistan's military academy, a place the military chief of pakistan visited only a week ago. the prime minister is feeling uncomfortable questions about how the al-qaeda leader house could have really gone unnoticed -- should have really gone unnoticed. >> for pakistan, be the message is there on the -- the mass is up there on the border areas. it has seeped into our own structures. that is a war that pakistan will

continue its you fight. >> bin laden has only brought violence over the years. the fear is his death at this compound will do little to change that. bbc news. >> joining me now to discuss the fallout after osama bin laden's death, a former u.s. ambassador to nato. thank you for joining us. i want to start with the question on everybody's mind. it is it possible that osama bin laden could be just a few hundred yards away from this major military academy and they not know about it? >> it defies logic. in a country where the intelligence department seeks to know everything, that they did not know the world's most vittoria's criminal laws actually living -- not fighting -- living openly in of the low. there are a lot of questions.

not just from the united states. that will surely happen. but from other countries, too, because al-qaeda has spawned attacks all across the arab world and in europe as well as north america. >> already a complicated relationship between washington and islamabad just bought a huge amount harder. what should the white house be doing with regard to pakistan's security? >> i think the congress will help the white house shined a huge spotlight on the pakastani government, to ask the basic questions about how it is possible information was not relayed to the united states? or not made public a long time ago that's obviously the pakastani government is dependent on united states in a variety of ways for the millions of dollars of economic and military aid each year. we also saw members of congress call for a congressional

hearing >> is it possible to justify even a single dollar of that aid going to pakistan? given what we found out in the last 24 hours? >> i think it is to be more difficult to make that case, but the reality is we're still fighting a war in afghanistan. and while we have not received the level of support we require from the pakastani government, pakistan is critical to the future of the war. it is a very complex question for the administration and for all of us involved in the nato effort there. that is nothing to stop. the challenge is to convince the pakastanis that they finally have to turn their back on implicit for active support for groups like lashkar-e-taiba, the group that attacked india in 2008 from pakistan, or the

pakastani taliban. >> we saw the white house treading a fine line when it comes to its reaction to pakistan. i want to look at the al-qaeda threat more broadly though. the white house told me today there were absolutely convinced the death of bin laden is a strategic victory as well as a symbolic victory. do you think that is the case, where osama bin laden was the number-one threat to the united states that's what's i think the white house is absolutely correct to say that. he is the one who authorized the 9/11 attacks and the attacks in august 1988 -- 1998 against their embassies in -- he has a long history of policing warfare against united states. to cover any of them from the -- to have removed him from the scene will have consequences. it will not end the terrorist threat, as we all know, against

britain or the united states or any other country because of tighter ran as a franchise operation. -- al-qaeda ran as a franchise operation. it inspired similar operations in somalia and iraq. we will be fighting terrorism for a long time in different parts of the world. today was an important day at striking back and seeing justice done after 10 years. >> thank you. despite the celebration and relief expressed in the united states, many people had given up hope that osama bin laden would ever be found. now it is clear that that sentiment did not extend to america's military and intelligence services. they never stopped trying to track him down. our editor looks back at the search that took a decade. >> for a decade, his face has been one of the most famous on earth. and we rarely got a global debt

and, -- we really got a good look at him, his visibility was one of the most important parts of him. osama bin laden was the 17th of 52 children whose father was an immensely rich saudi developer. his childhood was a happy one. he learned to the radicalism which later made him an effective guerrilla leader at university, where he studied engineering and came under the strong influence of a palestinian teacher. but it was the soviet invasion of 1979 when he was 22 that gave him pause to fight for. -- cause to fight for. he singled out america as the real enemy and planned his campaign in earnest. in february 1993, the first attack on new york, the bombing

of the world trade center, killing six and injuring 1000. in august 1998, the simultaneous bombing on the american embassies in kenya and tanzania. more than 5000 were injured. in october 2000, there was an attack on the uss cole of the coast of yemen. it culminated in the attacks of september 11, 2001, audacious and immensely cool. it is thought that bin laden had the basic idea of flying planes heavily laden with fuel into key buildings. >> we are returning to the airport. >> those with the chilling words of one of the hijackers, who that undergone training as a

pilot just in order to carry out this operation. it ended in the heart wrenching sites -- sight of two huge buildings falling in on themselves. >> i do not think we intellectually made a commitment to this movement and the post- 9/11. that galvanized the west into understanding what this threat was. >> than the hunt began in earnest. osama bin laden became the most hunted men on earth. it's only function from then on was to stay free. he went into deep hiding. but there is an old poster out west that says "wanted -- dead or alive." >> the the where bin laden huxley was senior bush administration figures did not have a clue.

>> he may be dead. he may be seriously wounded. >> he should never have been allowed to escape in the first place. american special forces have been bottled up in caves in eastern afghanistan, but only 100 or so soldiers were involved in the operation of thousands of other troops were kept on the sidelines. a local taliban commander spirited him out of the area on a secret that way no one was guarding and got into pakistan. after that, all we heard of him was the occasional video message, from which every clue to his whereabouts was carefully excluded. the cia said they were genuine, but sometimes he referred to current events. there were many more audio messages, 30 or so within 10 years. last year, he issued more than

in any other year since 2007. since the americans trapped and down through a courier, it must be a possibility that this relatively heavy traffic in states played a part in his downfall. >> i think everyone wanted to hear this as soon as possible after 9/11 happened. what this shows is no matter how challenging and difficult and how long it takes, people who commit these acts of terrorism, the killed deliberately large numbers of civilians, totally innocent people, we are going to carry on into the job is done. >> so, now bin laden is gone. what will be if that be? his followers will inevitably be passed down by his death, but it certainly will not make them give up their struggle. what it will do is tipped the paperback in favor of the united states -- said the balance back in favor of united states.

bbc news. >> so what does become of al- qaeda now that its founder is gone? over the years, the terror network has spawned a number of other organizations, inspired, but run independently. tonight, the u.s. is on high alert for fear of reprisals. >> the man most likely to succeed osama bin laden -- dr. ayman al-zawahiri, alrighty big already al-qaeda's most visible leader. they have long been close. still at large, he has been instrumental last week's -- he has been instrumental. last week, a marketplace in marrakech was started. the u.s. is under no illusion that bin laden felt that will

end terror like this. >> we should not forget that the battle to stop al-qaeda will not end with the death of bin laden. indeed, we must take this opportunity to renew our resolve and redouble our efforts. >> so, what sort of an organization does osama bin laden use behind him? on the not it looks pretty well established. in pakistan, and the group's core leadership and training camps. in yemen, al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula. in north africa, a group involved in the kidnap and ransom. and here in britain, mi-5 are still tracking several al-qaeda- inspired plots. >> he is sort of a spiritual leader. at the operational level, he had already given over to ayman al-

zawahiri. >> in yemen, al-qaeda has set up a new base. it presents a serious threat to the u.s.. it's ideal of addresses his followers in some english, radicalizing impressionable young britons and americans alike. their operations have failed, but the group is already planning the next one. on the other hand, the so-called arab spring on the front month. it has played no part in a mass movement where young, mostly secular arabs successfully over through the regime's that al- qaeda tried to topple. >> i think al-qaeda is a build of the week organization. it has suffered huge setbacks as a result of being seen to be

behind the agenda in the middle east revolutions. >> but here in britain, where the national threat level is at severe, the terrorist attacks are still thought highly likely. there is no heightened awareness others may try to avenge bin laden's untimely death. frank gardner, bbc news. >> the whitelate today released this photograph of president obama and it is -- the white house late today released this photograph of president obama on a conference call as it happened 24 hours ago. it is not obvious what they saw, only that they were able to follow the operation in real time. these spots known as ground zero -- matt frei joins us from now. we saw jubilation at ground zero

last night. what is happening there today? >> the mood all day, katty, is slightly more muted, i would say. people punching the air with their fists, waving the flag, those people, they have largely disappeared. what we have now and all the long are people who are believed -- all day long are people who are believed he is gone but are slightly worried about the future. what we do not know is how this war is going to end. that is what we have been hearing over and over again. there are hundreds, if not thousands here. onlookers, family members of the victims, tourists. lots and lots of tourists. they are circling around the enormous area of ground zero in what can only be described as a mood of quiet contemplation >>

matt, last night, watching these scenes, it did seem as if this was a moment of catharsis, because the white house has clearly been saying this does not mean the war on terrorism is over. but just getting rid of osama bin laden is fuseli emotionally and symbolically important to the united states, -- is hugely emotionally and symbolically important to the united states. >> of course it is, katty. this is a man who has been on the run for a decade. a man who eluded the world's most powerful military. every time he released one of those videos, do you remember the one he did from a rather nice studio just before the 2004 election? this was really cheeky on top of injury. of course, his very existence,

the fact that they could not find him was awful for this nation. on the other hand, he was the founding president of a large firm of car dealerships, if you like, and they will carry on regardless of whether he is alive or dead and do what ever they can. it is equally important -- and one should remember this -- that the arab springin has really pus a spanner in the works of all -- of the bin laden and his mission. they are saying, we are going to do this at our way. not the american way. but also not be bin laden my. -- bin laden way. katty. >> that does the for our

broadcast. thank you for watching. we will see you tomorrow. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

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